Materials Engineering Intern Review

The job was much better than I excpected with lots of hands-on work and with less desk time than I thought. The team made it even better as they were very approachable and helpful, exceeding my expectations

Although I didn't have much time to get to know them I felt valued, I was assigned important tasks for the team, I felt trusted and welcomed

My supervisor answers every single question and tells me where to find all the information I need

Quite. I had some slow hours on the first week, and there is an occasional day where I have to stop and wait for answers from someone else

Very. I was given real assignments previously given to full time employees that have real impact on the progress of the team as a whole. I was left mostly alone and told that I should be the one reaching out if needed, as no one would be closely monitoring what I was doing, expecting me to do well by myself, but offering help if I need it

I think this will be very useful both to my degree and beyond. Being trusted to run my own tasks and being given impactful assignments give me confidence in my professional skills and shows me the impact my academic skills can have. Also networking and contact with different cultures has helped my personal development.

It was very relaxed, with the team being very friendly and approachable and people genuinely cared about how my work was going and whether I was enjoying myself. We were all (even the interns) encouraged to come up with fun things to do together and collaborate in these extra-work things. We've gone bowling, had a bake sale and a department lunch and I'm only halfway through!

Most of the legwork had been done before so I just arrived and got busy! I had reading material to go through before I started and lots of training in the first week. There was already a schedule for me to follow and their expectations of my work were very clear.

I expected less than what I got. I was fully trained in metallurgy preparation methods, but I already had that training from school. I was also fully trained on SEM use and multiple health and safety modules. I have plenty of access to online training if I wish to do so and was encouraged to take training that interested me other than just the mandatory ones.

I don't know yet what the manager thinks of my work, mainly because said work is not finished but I have been getting great feedback from him and my supervisors so my chances look really good.

yes, definitely. I also put together a bunch of activities and was invited to other interns' initiatives in turn, like weekends away and afternoon tea. It took a bit of time to start, but I would guess it takes time to build trust, get settled in our new homes and so on, before we can start planning fun things.

A bit expensive, especially the rent. I have been told it's not that expensive, so maybe it'll be my expectations that were a problem. Going out is more expensive than I expected as well, with food and especially drinks. Groceries aren't though, so socializing in people's homes turns to a nice alternative.

While it was lively and other intern did go out, I personally disliked the available clubs and such. I did go out to some nice pubs early in the afternoon, but I'll keep avoiding going out at night. The locals get very drunk and loud and I find it unpleasant

There were so many things, from interns starting their own initiatives to other employees and also people encouraging me to invite them to come do stuff I'd like. I have met many employees from other departments and they have also been very receptive to setting up lunches, dinners and weekend activities